This invention relates to an extractor for in situ removal of stump cutting teeth from a cutting wheel.
Stump cutting and digging devices generally employing a rotatable cutter disc having a plurality of removably mounted cutting teeth or bits have been and continue to be recognized by those skilled in the art as an extremely efficient means for effecting land clearing tasks.
One such device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,074,447 issued on Feb. 21, 1978 to Norman E. Shivers, Jr. et al., the instant inventors, for "Stump Cutting and Precision Digging Apparatus." Another stump remover device utilizing such cutting teeth is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,935,887 issued on Feb. 3, 1976 to Van Zante et al. for "Cutter Disc."
In operation, the rotating cutting wheel with associated components including cutting teeth and clamp elements are harshly exposed to wood chips, sawdust, dirt and the like which eventually become lodged in small crevices of, for instance, the cutting tooth clamps. Further, over time, the occurence of rust on the components associated with the cutting wheel is not uncommon.
As a result of the above mentioned conditions, often times, the generally removeable cutting tooth will become lodged in the clamping element, making extraction of the tooth a relatively tedious and time-consuming process.
One conventional method of extracting a lodged tooth from its mounting clamp has been to utilize a hammer and chisel to strike the rear end of the cutting tooth shank in an attempt to move the tooth forward through the clamp mounting. This, unfortunately, can result in flaring of the tooth end, which can cause the tooth to be inextricably fixed in its mounting.
Hence, those concerned with the efficient operation and maintenance of stump cutting and digging devices employing a rotatable cutting wheel with removeable cutting teeth mounted thereon, have expressed a need for a device capable of in situ removal of the cutting teeth from the wheel in a relatively quick and simple manner and one which does not distort the original shape of the cutting tooth. The present invention fulfills this need.